The Color Of Courage. Patricia Davids

Monday morning, Lindsey begged a ride to the Large Animal Clinic with Shane. When they arrived, they saw Lee and Avery just going in. It seemed that all of them wanted to check on Dakota before they started their duties for the day.

      As she approached Dakota’s stall, Lindsey was surprised to see Captain Watson had arrived before them. He was deep in conversation with Dr. Cutter.

      When her captain caught sight of them, he smiled. “I’ve been talking to the doctor and he has a way to do surgery on Dakota at a reduced cost to our unit.”

      Lindsey’s heart jumped as happiness surged through her. “How is that possible?”

      Dr. Cutter cleared his throat. “Using a new surgical procedure that I’ve developed—I told you about it the other day. Dakota’s break is exactly the sort I’m hoping to trial this repair on.”

      “But you said it wasn’t an option.” Shane frowned at the doctor.

      “I received notice of my grant acceptance this morning. It is an experimental procedure. If Dakota is entered in the study, it will mean I will have total control of his care. My fees and much of his care will be covered, but that will still leave the bill for his boarding and supplies that the army will have to pay. Unfortunately, the grant isn’t a large one.”

      “We can raise the money if we have to,” Captain Watson said.

      “Absolutely,” Avery chimed in. “He’s one of our own. We won’t let him down.”

      “Of course not,” Lindsey added. She had a little in savings. She would gladly give the money to help pay for Dakota’s care. “When you say experimental, Dr. Cutter, do you mean there is a chance that this won’t help him?”

      “There is that chance, but I have every confidence that he will do well. If my procedure works, he could be out of his cast in as little as six weeks.”

      Six weeks. That meant Dakota would be able to travel to Washington, D.C., in time for the Inaugural parade. Lindsey’s joy danced like a soap bubble in the wind.

      Thank you, God, for giving Dakota into the care of this man.

      Captain Watson turned to Brian. “You have my permission to enroll Dakota in your study.”

      “Excellent. There are some forms you’ll need to sign. If you’ll follow me to my office, we can take care of that now.”

      When the two men walked away, Lindsey opened the gate and stepped into the stall where Dakota stood quietly. He rested with his head lowered and his eyes half-closed. His dazed look worried her until she realized that they would be giving him pain medication and sedation to keep him quiet.

      “Hey, Dakota. How’s it going, fella?”

      His head came up at the sound of her voice and he whinnied softly. Delighted at his responsiveness, she stepped closer and began to rub the side of his face. “Don’t worry about a thing. Dr. Cutter is going to fix you up in no time.”

      Behind her, Avery said, “Do you think an experimental surgery using gene therapy is the best way to go?”

      Shane moved up to stand beside Lindsey. Reaching out, he patted Dakota’s neck. “It sounds a bit like science fiction to me.”

      “I have faith that it will work. I think the Lord brought us here at exactly the right time for Dakota to get this care.”

      Lee shoved his hands into his front pockets. “It would have been better if He had kept Dakota from breaking a leg in the first place.”

      Lindsey didn’t answer. This, too, had to be part of God’s plan, but like Danny’s injury, it was a bitter pill to swallow.

      She ran her hand over Dakota’s soft nose. Her faith was being tested. The words of Psalm 9:9 echoed in her mind.

      The Lord is a refuge for the oppressed, a stronghold in times of trouble.

      In her time of trouble, had she turned to the Lord as she should have? Perhaps that was what she was being shown. Little by little, she let go of the anger she had been holding on to.

      I will try to listen with my heart for Your wisdom, Lord. Show me the path and I will do my best to travel it.

      Three days later, Lindsey was struggling to use the can opener with her left hand when the doorbell rang. She stared at the container of corn that refused to fit in the opener. “We’re not done. I won’t be defeated by an inanimate object.”

      She noticed the faint smell of burning mozzarella, but the oven timer said her frozen pizza still had five minutes to go. The doorbell chimed again. Leaving the tiny kitchenette of her apartment, she crossed the living room to the front door. She opened it and stared in stunned silence.

      “Surprise!” Her sister stood on the stoop with a suitcase resting beside her. Speechless, Lindsey could only stare.

      Looking uncertain, Karen said, “Say something.”

      Shaking herself out of her stupor, Lindsey enfolded Karen in a one-armed hug. “Hello. This certainly is a surprise. What are you doing here?”

      Karen returned the embrace. “I’m just visiting.”

      Taking a step back, Lindsey studied Karen’s face. Her sister had always been the rebel in the family. Her shaggy, cropped blond hair haloed a heart-shaped face. Danny often said Karen’s big brown eyes and ready smile could make men weak in the knees, but her quirky wit was her greatest gift. Karen had a smile on her face now, but it didn’t erase the sadness that lurked in the depths of her gaze.

      “From the look on your face I’d say this is more than just visiting. What brings you all the way from Washington, D.C. to Kansas?”

      “Invite me in and I’ll tell you about it. Oh, you poor woman, look at you. You’re covered in bruises.”

      “Having a horse roll over you will do that. Honestly, Karen, why are you here? Did Dad send you to take care of me?”

      “No, although I’m sure he would have thought of it in a day or two,” Karen added quickly.

      “You should be helping Abigail and Danny. I can take care of myself.”

      Karen cleared her throat. “I just needed to get away for a while. I’m sorry I didn’t call. Showing up and surprising you seemed like a good idea at the time, but it wasn’t, was it?”

      Lindsey reached out and took her hand. “It’s a wonderful idea. You know I’m always happy to see you. Come in and tell me why you’re here.”

      Karen’s face brightened. “Later. You don’t happen to have some tea, do you?”

      “I’ll tell you what. If you can wrestle open a can of corn for me, I’ll make you a whole pot.”

      Inside the apartment, Karen followed Lindsey into the kitchen. At the entrance to the small room decorated with rooster wallpaper and rooster border above the few white cabinets, Karen paused and stared up at the large rooster-shaped clock on the wall. The avocado-green refrigerator began its noisy rumbling and Lindsey gave it a sharp shove to silence the sound. After a moment, Karen said in a tentative murmur, “You have a…nice place.”

      “Don’t even try to be kind. It’s a rental and it’s cheap. I don’t care what the wallpaper looks like as long as the roosters don’t crow.”

      “What a marvelous attitude.”

      “I’m easy, what can I say?”

      Karen wrinkled her nose. “I think something’s burning.”

      “Oh, that’s just my lunch. Can you help me with this? I damaged a nerve when I broke my arm and my hand is completely useless. I can’t feel a thing.” Handing her sister the offending can, Lindsey indicated the opener with a tilt of her head.

      Karen’s eyes widened in alarm. “Dad never mentioned that you had no feeling in your arm. Is it permanent?”